USGA Announces Local Qualifying Sites for 2015 U.S. Open Championship

Share Article

Local qualifying, conducted over 18 holes at 111 sites in 43 states, will take place between May 4-21.

“U.S. Open qualifying is conducted with the support and expertise provided by state and regional golf associations, and we appreciate their effort and commitment," said Diana Murphy, USGA vice president and Championship Committee chairman.

Far Hills, N.J. (PRWEB)February 24, 2015

The United States Golf Association (USGA) today announced local qualifying sites for the 2015 U.S. Open Championship. The U.S. Open will be contested June 18-21 at Chambers Bay, in University Place, Wash. – the first U.S. Open in the Pacific Northwest. Local qualifying, conducted over 18 holes at 111 sites in 43 states, will take place between May 4-21.

“U.S. Open local qualifying represents the start of an exciting two-tiered process in which thousands of golfers from around the world, both professional and amateur, pursue a place in this year’s field at Chambers Bay and the opportunity to compete for our national championship,” said Diana Murphy, USGA vice president and Championship Committee chairman. “U.S. Open qualifying is conducted with the support and expertise provided by state and regional golf associations, and we appreciate their effort and commitment.”

Those players who advance out of local qualifying will compete in sectional qualifying, which will be conducted over 36 holes at 10 U.S. sites on June 8. For the 11th consecutive year, Japan and England will host international sectional qualifying, both scheduled for May 25.

In 2014, the USGA accepted a record 10,127 entries for the championship at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2, in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C. That total eclipsed the 9,860 for the 2013 championship at Merion Golf Club, in Ardmore, Pa.

Thirty-nine courses return as U.S. Open local qualifying sites from last year and several have a long history as hosts. Illini Country Club, in Springfield, Ill., has conducted a U.S. Open local qualifier since the late 1940s, while Maketewah Country Club, in Cincinnati, Ohio, has been a site for more than four decades. Riverton (Wyo.) Country Club and Genoa Lakes Golf Club, in Genoa, Nev., have hosted local qualifying since the 1990s. Collindale Golf Course, in Fort Collins, Colo., has also hosted for more than a decade.

Omaha (Neb.) Country Club and Oak Tree National, in Edmond, Okla., the sites of the 2013 and 2014 U.S. Seniors Open, respectively, are also hosting U.S. Open local qualifiers.

Three other local qualifying sites have hosted historic USGA championships. Arnold Palmer won the 1954 U.S. Amateur at the Country Club of Detroit, in Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich. Jack Nicklaus (1959 U.S. Amateur) and Annika Sorenstam (1995 U.S. Women’s Open) won USGA titles at The Broadmoor Golf Club (East Course), in Colorado Springs, Colo. Johnny Miller captured the 1964 U.S. Junior Amateur at Eugene (Ore.) Country Club.

Several local exemptions for the U.S. Open were amended prior to 2014. The top 500 point leaders and ties from the Official World Golf Ranking (as of March 2) will be exempt. Any player in the OWGR’s top 500 (as of April 27) who has filed an entry prior to the deadline of 5 p.m. EDT on April 29, will also earn a local exemption. In the past, only the top 150 point leaders were exempted.

Additionally, any player who has had multiple finishes in the top 400 of the year-ending OWGR in the past five calendar years (2010-2014) will be exempt from local qualifying.

Ken Venturi (1964) and Orville Moody (1969) are the only players to win the U.S. Open after qualifying through both local and sectional play. Last year, 24 players advanced through local and sectional qualifying to the 156-player U.S. Open Championship field at Pinehurst.

To be eligible, a player must have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 1.4, or be a professional.

There are 16 local qualifying sites in the state of Florida. Fourteen local qualifiers are scheduled in California.

About the USGA
The USGA conducts the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open, as well as 10 national amateur championships, two state team championships and international matches, attracting players and fans from more than 160 countries. Together with The R&A, the USGA governs the game worldwide, jointly administering the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status, equipment standards and World Amateur Golf Rankings. The USGA’s reach is global with a working jurisdiction in the United States, its territories and Mexico, serving more than 25 million golfers and actively engaging 150 golf associations.

The USGA is one of the world’s foremost authorities on research, development and support of sustainable golf course management practices. It serves as a primary steward for the game’s history and invests in the development of the game through the delivery of its services and its ongoing “For the Good of the Game” grants program. Additionally, the USGA’s Course Rating and Handicap systems are used on six continents in more than 50 countries.